Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision: Microsoft’s First-Party Map
How Microsoft's gaming studios fit together after the ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard deals, which teams make what, and how the map has changed since.
For most of the Xbox’s history, “first-party” meant a fairly small group of studios under the Microsoft Studios banner, later renamed Xbox Game Studios. Two huge acquisitions changed that. Microsoft bought ZeniMax Media, the parent of Bethesda, in 2021, and Activision Blizzard in 2023. Overnight, the company went from a modest stable of developers to one of the largest game publishers in the world, owning series that run from Minecraft and Halo to Call of Duty, The Elder Scrolls, Warcraft and Candy Crush.
The result can be confusing. Who actually makes an “Xbox game” now? Which label is Bethesda under? And why have so many studio names changed since? This guide maps the structure at a high level, as of October 2026, and explains how it got here. It focuses on the organization rather than individual series; the studio picture has been changing quickly, so we note dates wherever we can.
The big picture: one division, several labels
Microsoft’s games business is run as a single division, now simply called Xbox, led since February 2026 by chief executive Asha Sharma, who succeeded Phil Spencer. Matt Booty serves as chief content officer, overseeing the content side. Within the division, games are made and published under several long-standing labels:
| Label | Joined Microsoft | Best known for |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox Game Studios | Microsoft’s original in-house group (2000 onward) | Halo, Gears of War, Forza, Fable, Age of Empires, Microsoft Flight Simulator |
| Mojang Studios | Acquired 2014 | Minecraft |
| Bethesda (ZeniMax Media) | Acquired 2021 | The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, Starfield |
| Activision | Acquired 2023 | Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater |
| Blizzard Entertainment | Acquired 2023 | Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft |
| King | Acquired 2023 | Candy Crush |
Xbox’s own leadership page lists separate presidents for Bethesda, Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment and King, plus a chief executive for Mojang. Each label keeps its own identity and publishing brand, so a Bethesda game still opens with the Bethesda logo even though Microsoft owns it.
Xbox Game Studios: the original core
Xbox Game Studios is the group most closely tied to the Xbox brand. Over the console’s history it built or acquired teams including:
- Rare (England), acquired in 2002, the studio behind Sea of Thieves and the Rare Replay collection.
- Halo Studios (Redmond), formerly 343 Industries, created to take over Halo after Bungie’s departure. It was renamed Halo Studios in October 2024 alongside a move to Unreal Engine 5.
- The Coalition (Vancouver), founded in 2010 to take on Gears of War after Microsoft bought the series from Epic Games.
- Playground Games (England), acquired in 2018, known for the Forza Horizon series and the Fable reboot.
- Turn 10 Studios, the long-time home of Forza Motorsport, which was folded into Playground Games as part of the 2026 reorganization.
- Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment, both acquired in 2018, known for role-playing games.
- World’s Edge, which oversees the Age of Empires series.
- Xbox Game Studios Publishing, which works with external developers on games Microsoft publishes but does not make in-house.
The 2018 to 2020 period brought a wave of smaller acquisitions to this group as well, including Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games and Double Fine. Several of those have since left Xbox, as covered below. For the hardware story that ran alongside these studios, see our history of Xbox console generations.
Bethesda and ZeniMax: the 2021 acquisition
Microsoft announced its plan to acquire ZeniMax Media in September 2020 and completed the deal in March 2021. ZeniMax brought a publishing label, Bethesda Softworks, and a group of well-known development studios. At the time of the acquisition, those included:
- Bethesda Game Studios, maker of The Elder Scrolls, the modern Fallout games and Starfield.
- id Software, creator of Doom and Quake.
- MachineGames, developer of the modern Wolfenstein games.
- Arkane Studios in Lyon and Austin, known for Dishonored and Prey.
- ZeniMax Online Studios, which runs The Elder Scrolls Online.
- Tango Gameworks in Tokyo, known for The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush.
Bethesda has kept its own publishing brand under Microsoft, and its president reports into the Xbox organization. The acquisition is also where the question of exclusivity became most visible: some Bethesda games released after the deal, such as Starfield, launched only on Xbox and PC, while existing multiplatform games like The Elder Scrolls Online stayed on PlayStation.
Activision Blizzard: the 2023 acquisition
Microsoft’s largest gaming deal closed in October 2023 after nearly two years of regulatory review in multiple countries. It brought three major publishing groups:
Activision
Activision’s internal studios are dominated by Call of Duty development, with teams such as Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software, plus support studios like Beenox and High Moon Studios. Activision also owns long-running series such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. In 2024, Toys for Bob, the studio behind recent Spyro and Crash games, left Microsoft to become independent.
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard is the maker of Warcraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft and Hearthstone. It continues to operate under its own brand, with its own president.
King
King, best known for Candy Crush, gave Microsoft a major presence in mobile gaming, an area where Xbox previously had very little.
A notable effect of the deal is that Call of Duty, historically marketed heavily alongside PlayStation, is now a Microsoft-owned franchise. Microsoft has continued to release it on PlayStation and has added new releases to Game Pass; see our Game Pass tiers guide for which tiers include day-one first-party games.
Closures, departures and reshuffles
The years after the acquisitions brought significant contraction alongside the growth. The most notable changes, by date:
- February 2024: Toys for Bob became an independent studio.
- May 2024: Microsoft closed Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games. Later that year, Krafton acquired Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush series, keeping the studio alive outside Microsoft.
- October 2024: 343 Industries was renamed Halo Studios.
- July 2025: a reorganization with large layoffs across the division closed The Initiative and canceled its Perfect Dark project, along with Rare’s Everwild.
- February 2026: Phil Spencer retired and Asha Sharma became chief executive of the division, which was later renamed Xbox.
- July 2026: another major restructuring. As part of it, Double Fine returned to independence, keeping the rights to its games, and Compulsion Games also left. Other studios’ futures were reported to be under review.
- September 2026: Matt Booty announced that the next Halo game would be developed by Activision, with Halo Studios scaled down to support existing titles.
Because changes have continued into late 2026, the best way to confirm whether a particular studio is still part of Xbox is Microsoft’s own studio and leadership pages, or recent reporting from established outlets.
What “exclusive” means across these labels
The expanded studio map coincided with a change in strategy. Microsoft began releasing selected first-party games on other platforms, including PlayStation, from 2024 onward. The practical result is that ownership no longer tells you where a game will appear:
- Some games from Xbox-owned studios launch on Xbox and PC first, or only there.
- Many games, especially established multiplatform series like Call of Duty, Minecraft, Diablo and Overwatch, release on PlayStation and other platforms at the same time.
- Some older Xbox exclusives have later been released on PlayStation.
For Xbox owners, the main first-party advantages today are availability on Game Pass, often from day one on the qualifying tier, and features such as Smart Delivery and Xbox Play Anywhere across console and PC.
How it compares with PlayStation’s approach
Sony built its first-party group mostly through long-term relationships with studios that worked on its hardware for years before being bought, and it concentrates on a smaller number of big single-player releases. Microsoft’s map is larger and more varied because of its two giant publisher acquisitions, and it includes major mobile and PC businesses. The two approaches are explained side by side if you read this alongside our guide to PlayStation Studios.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bethesda part of Xbox Game Studios?
Not exactly. Bethesda is a separate label within the Xbox division, with its own president and publishing brand. It sits alongside Xbox Game Studios rather than inside it.
Does Microsoft own Minecraft?
Yes. Mojang Studios, the developer of Minecraft, has been owned by Microsoft since 2014. In October 2026 Xbox announced a new chief executive for Mojang.
Are all Microsoft-owned games on Game Pass?
Many are, especially new first-party releases on the qualifying tier, but catalog contents rotate and older or third-party-published titles may not be included. Check the Game Pass catalog for a specific game.
Do Xbox studios still make console exclusives?
Some, yes. Exclusivity is now decided game by game rather than by studio. Microsoft still releases certain games on Xbox consoles and PC only, at least at launch, while others arrive on PlayStation on the same day. The store listing and the official announcement for each game are the reliable places to check.
What happened to studios that left Xbox?
It varies. Some, like Toys for Bob and Double Fine, became independent again. Tango Gameworks was closed and then acquired by another publisher, Krafton. Others, like Arkane Austin and The Initiative, were shut down. Games those studios already released generally remain available on Xbox storefronts, but future projects depend on their new owners.
